Reply to "Do I have a blown head gasket"

To overheat in such a short distance seems odd.

If you were sucking coolant into the cylinders you would likely see white smoke from the tailpipes. Like a smoke screen if the leak was serious. If you do not see white smoke at the tailpipe the head gasket might be ruled out. Blue=oil, white=coolant.

Failed water pump or water pump belt is another option. Not moving water will quickly over head an engine. But an accurate temp gauge would tell you that, the temp would be "pegged" to hot.

Vapor around the valve covers could be more a bad intake gasket leaking. Look for puddles of water around the intake or top of the motor. The valve covers are higher on the engine. If the head gasket was blown, steam would would be lower on the engine around the headers or sucked into the cylinders and burned as a white smoke.

Serious, stupid question. Was there any water on the engine before taking the trip? Could it be, water that collected on the intake overtime or after a wash. That would steam as the water cooked off.

What did the temp gauge say when getting home?